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Monaco on the world stage

Tue, 09/11/2018 - 15:09

Riviera Insider: Monsieur Rose, after working as the Director of Tourism, you were recently given the task of coordinating efforts to better promote Monaco abroad. What can you tell us about your strategy for the project?

Guillaume Rose: I will be reuniting all stakeholders responsible for promoting and managing Monaco’s image overseas. I am also working on a government study that will figure out the needs of the principality as well its opportunities and its weaknesses. I am meeting all those involved in ‘exporting Monaco’ – whether for diplomatic, economic, touristic, cultural or scientific reasons – and will then provide my own recommendations on how we can all best work together. Establishing a common goal and good working relationships between these actors is essential to our efforts. My role will be to ensure that, upstream, the decisions made at executive level are applied and that there is synergy in respective missions. Expectations are high and some excellent work has already been done on the subject by the Monaco Economic Board.

RI: To the rest of the world, Monaco is many different things: a glamourous destination for the super rich, one of the last European nations with an authentic sovereign, a very safe and security-focused country... What is the image of Monaco you would like to communicate to the world?

GR: One of a cosmopolitan, innovative and open country! And that Monaco is a nation whose history is long, and whose population is welcoming and united around the benevolence of a Prince who works every day to make the world a better place.

Ever since I moved back to the principality 20 years ago, I have felt a sense of privilege that brings with it responsibility. [I am privileged] to live in a socially and economically advanced country where a precious democratic dialogue exists alongside stable institutions. As such, I feel a responsibility to contribute towards its prosperity and heritage by sharing its values and successes with the world.

RI: From promoting marine conservation to tackling issues such as corruption and tax evasion, Monaco has made major efforts in recent years to improve its standing in the world. How will you continue to fight negative stereotypes?

GR: The quality and the forward-thinking approach of Monaco’s cultural entities; its touristic savoir-faire; its economic success; the fight for environmental protection and conservation; the peaceful application of the high-level security… All of these are great assets that only a few other countries are able to do as well as the principality. In the face of negative stereotypes, we can often only talk of our strengths. Our open and direction communication channels highlight these. My many years of experience in the tourism industry have taught me that once the first biases and prejudices are gone, the vast majority of decision-makers – the people who we are looking to attract – quickly come to appreciate Monaco.

An online presence

The Monegasque government recently launched a social media drive to bolster the principality’s presence online. Residents and visitors are being encouraged to rally around three key hashtags on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook:

#monacomoments - To be used when posting about daily life in the principality

#visitmonaco - For all things tourism such as lifestyle shots, visits to cultural and historical sites, and hotel stays